Well I just got my BC 12x filter from Don at West Coast Audio here in the Vancouver area. The 12x is plugged into the Thingee as Ice Man suggested with the plasma and Blu-ray next to it. I will let it break in for a week before any critical movie watching.

On another note, Don invited me to audition his extraordinary system. The BC pre-amp and 204 power amp were simply divine as were the British designed Harbeth speakers. Every note was separate from each other as the system was beyond transparent. That was the finest sound I have ever heard and I have auditioned MacIntosh, Boulder, Mark Levinson, Bryston. It seems that Blue Circle products are a cut above the rest.

Lotta fun, lotta fun

Last edited by beyond1000 on Sun Sep 15, 2013 4:45 pm, edited 1 time in total.

A bit of a late response to Iceman but thanks for you advice. Firstly the 12x made a noticeable improvement to the PLC. I had a slight hum out of my amp which I traced as cablevision/HDMI ground loop. Plugging the amp into the PLC with the 12x eliminated that. I had the amp on the wall. Now the whole system is being filtered by the two BC products.

The sub is plugged straight into the wall with a Nordost QV2 on it's free outlet. I was thinking of getting either a 12x or 18x on the sub's free outlet. Would any of those products actually make a difference on a sub?

I have a 6X attached to the free outlet that is connected to my sub-- big difference, night and day. Bass is much tighter and deeper. I can't do without it. I can only imagine what a higher X will do.

However, my two cents, is that if you are going to contemplate something as expensive as a 18X, I would ask Don to ask Gilbert, if for that price, they might have a better option for you, perhaps, upgrading your PLC with some custom work-- maybe, move it into a bigger chassis, and down the road, you might have room to (if possible) upgrade it to a BC6XXX line.

It is my experience that you want to concentrate your filtering on your electronics, especially, the amp and/or integrated. As Gilbert has mentioned several times on the forum regarding filtering, you want it as close to the source as possible. If there is room in your PLC, that would be ideal as it is closest to your equipment. If not, then my opinion would be to get the 18X, swap it out with your 12X on the PLC, and then put the 12X on your subs. If you upgrade your PLC to something that has greater filtering than a 12X, put the 12X on your subs, and you will also have an extra free outlet to plug something in.

I have a 6X attached to the free outlet that is connected to my sub-- big difference, night and day. Bass is much tighter and deeper. I can't do without it. I can only imagine what a higher X will do.

However, my two cents, is that if you are going to contemplate something as expensive as a 18X, I would ask Don to ask Gilbert, if for that price, they might have a better option for you, perhaps, upgrading your PLC with some custom work-- maybe, move it into a bigger chassis, and down the road, you might have room to (if possible) upgrade it to a BC6XXX line.

It is my experience that you want to concentrate your filtering on your electronics, especially, the amp and/or integrated. As Gilbert has mentioned several times on the forum regarding filtering, you want it as close to the source as possible. If there is room in your PLC, that would be ideal as it is closest to your equipment. If not, then my opinion would be to get the 18X, swap it out with your 12X on the PLC, and then put the 12X on your subs. If you upgrade your PLC to something that has greater filtering than a 12X, put the 12X on your subs, and you will also have an extra free outlet to plug something in.

The PLC is full now. It is plugged in one outlet and everything else except the sub is plugged to the PLC. The outlet that the PLC is plugged into is on the same circuit as the outlet that the sub is plugged into. I figured that plugging the 18x to the free outlet above the sub will not only improve the sub a lot, as you informed me, but also it will help purify the circuit in which both outlets are on. Thus the whole circuit is purified.

Does that make sense?

Thanks and your thoughts if you can.

P.S. A BC6xxx is a bit out of my budget and nothing else fits on the rack. The Sillycones and PLC would be all in the back on the floor.

Sorry-- I didn't realize that the PLC is a PVC filter. It already uses BC 6000 technology, and most likely, it might not be cost effective or even possible to upgrade it.

Yes, you are absolutely correct: the filtering for the sub will filter your entire line, and your electronics will have significant further filtering.

If you get an 18X, only you will know which the location would be best: either the outlet with the sub, or on the PLC, with the 12X placed in the outlet with the sub. It'll take a few minuets for you to know which configuration sounds best. My two cents is with the 18X connected to your PLC and the 12X with the sub. In either case, you will take your power filtering to a whole level higher. If you think it sounds good now, demo an 18X Like I said: I only have a 6X with my sub, but it makes a huge difference. Go for as much filtering as you can....you won't regret it.

Another option is to upgrade the AC cord that is attached to the PLC. This will provide 18X filtering while leaving you with one extra outlet on the PLC to be used by another piece of equipment which will benefit from the massive filtering. You can check with Don, and if he isn't sure, then Blue Circle, if an 18X AC cord for your PLC is more effective than adding an 18X sillycone filter. However, it will be a bit more expensive because of the AC cord portion. I personally think it is worth it. I have every component plugged into my filtering system, including my laptop.

I started with a BC 68, then upgraded it to a 3X, then a 6X and now it is a 12X AC cord. Each increase in filtering was very noticable.

If you do decide to go with the 18X AC cord, measure out the shortest length for the AC cord you will need. Check with Don/Blue Circle would it be better to do one 18X filter, or perhaps, (3) 6X filters along the AC cord.

Can't hurt to ask about different possibilities in order for you to get the best bang for your buck. If you go the above route, welcome to The Custom Shop at Blue Circle.

Ice Man wrote:Another option is to upgrade the AC cord that is attached to the PLC. This will provide 18X filtering while leaving you with one extra outlet on the PLC to be used by another piece of equipment which will benefit from the massive filtering. You can check with Don, and if he isn't sure, then Blue Circle, if an 18X AC cord for your PLC is more effective than adding an 18X sillycone filter. However, it will be a bit more expensive because of the AC cord portion. I personally think it is worth it. I have every component plugged into my filtering system, including my laptop.

I started with a BC 68, then upgraded it to a 3X, then a 6X and now it is a 12X AC cord. Each increase in filtering was very noticable.

If you do decide to go with the 18X AC cord, measure out the shortest length for the AC cord you will need. Check with Don/Blue Circle would it be better to do one 18X filter, or perhaps, (3) 6X filters along the AC cord.

Can't hurt to ask about different possibilities in order for you to get the best bang for your buck. If you go the above route, welcome to The Custom Shop at Blue Circle.

Beyond1000,

I had Blue Circle custom install a 6X filter onto an exsiting powercord - 8 inches from the IEC connection. It is a great way to target the Blue Circle filtering to a component, or to a PLC. This powercord works wonders to clean up the video and audio on my PVR.

I have an 18X filter and a GICPO. The 18X filter is at is best directly into my 10 outlet GICPO.

Well Ice Man I just went ahead and called Don. I placed an order for an 18x. For a sub I'm running the newest version of the SVS PB13 Ultra with a Cardas Clear Beyond power cord. The power outlet is a Shunyata Z1. I'm gonna plug the monster 18x on the monster 13Ultra fed by the monster Cardas power cord and test out this energy. I am trusting that the massive conditioning/filtration of the 18x will do wonders for my sub/power cord investment. The sub is the cornerstone of the audio portion of the system with the multichannel amp a close second (fed by 6 outlet Thingee and 12x).

I will let the 18x break in properly and report what performance quality I get in return. I am extremely pleased with the performance return on my system via the Thingee/12x combo. The subwoofer is the only item in my entire arsenal that does not have any Blue Circle filtration.

Since it would only take a few extra minutes, I would also recommend putting the 12X on the sub and the 18X placed on the same outlet as the multichannel amp on the Thingee, and see which set up sounds better.

I will try the 18x on both as you said and see (or hear) which way sounds better if at all. For sure using an 18x or a 12x on the sub will make it sound smoother.

On the other outlet where the Thingee is plugged in I am using a Nordost QV2 on the spare outlet. Do you feel I should ditch the QV2 and go for a 6x, since the Thingee is already a 3x in itself and it has the 12x plugged into it? What about a bc markIII base filter plugged into the switched outlet on the AVR which is used as a pre/pro? This will need a two prong version however. Lots of loaded questions.

Lotta fun lotta fun.

I will pick the 18x up from Don's place and have a nice re-listen to his killer BC/Harbeth system. That BC204 is just "the end".

Sillycone addiction, and more specifically, BC filtering, is very real; I should know.

Adding an 18X to what you already have, especially, if optimally placed, will be a significant improvement to your system.

You have a few, "loaded questions" and I see that you are contemplating additional BC filtering. While I can safely say that adding additional BC filtering will enhance the sound-- no question there. But, with the amount of money that you just spent on the 18X and what you mentioned in the above, I have to wonder if there is a more effective way, for around the same costs, as you are contemplating. The problem is that while you will hear a clear benefit in adding more "X's", it is filtering the same dynamic range.

The BC 6XXX family, along with the new ieX module, not only improves increases the filtering, but more importantly, each level up filters a wider range: BC6000 vs. BC6020 vs. BC 60X1e.

For what you are going to spend, and the price for the BC6000si, 2 outlet, is a much better unit: much greater filtering range, and a lot more filtering power. Then, take your 12X and put it on your sub. Plug your Thingee into the one of the outlets, and your system into that. You will have enough filtering, for some time, and just enjoy your system. Future upgrades should be focused on your electronics.

Since you just placed your order, I would talk to Don to get his thoughts.